POLL: How Become A Professional Player

[PoolSponge]

My opinion is that a professional has to prove their worth. Having a system in place to determine consistant performance would be one way of establishing a professional status. That said, if you pay the entry into the US Open and qualify past the qualifying events, you should also be ranked pro. However, to simply play in an Open or Professional event should not exclusively allow for someone to be considered pro. If the region that is hosting the Open event only draws a handful of players with a low or reasonable entry then all players can enter thus not all are professionals.

Does that make sense?

 

[JoeW]

Here is a system that anyone could construct. National event = 100 points, state event = 75 points, regional event = 50 points, local event =25 points. A player's place in the event multiplied by the event quality = a player score. For example, 2nd place in a national event = 80 points.

A player's accumulated points over the last five years would lead to their current standing. Some specified number could be used to identify semi-pro, pro, retired pro, etc. I think that just scoring players in this manner would lead to rankings for known players that would have natural cut offs.

 

[Snap9]

Quite honestly as bewildering as it may seem there is not one single PRO player that exists in 2007. Which player does not put up an entry fee to play in a tournament? Stay with me here this may take a while to explain my thought processes. Which pool player gets paid to compete? None....... Now there are sponsored players that get endorsements, but paid to play there are none. Even Earl's contract did not pay his entry fee. They paid Earl a salary per year and out of that salary came his entry fees and expenses.

Now my opinion. A classified pro(like football, basketball, baseball, soccer,ect) gets paid a salary to compete or shall we say perform no matter what the outcome of the game ends. This is not a sponsorship these pros recieve but an actual salary. Pool players do not recieve their salary unless they earn it by placing in the tournament money.

Like I said this may be harsh to the top-level pool players, but I do not consider them PROFESSIONALS. I consider them to be at the top of their respective disciplines, but until they get paid like a Professional athlete they are not a Pro. These pool players are at the top of their respective games, but society has deemed them to not be PROs by the lack of overall enthusiasm for the game of billiards as a MAIN STREAM sport.

I vote for Calling all top-tier player categories MASTERS.

So let's run them down...

BANK POOL MASTERS
ONE-POCKET MASTERS
9-BALL MASTERS
10-BALL MASTERS
14.1 MASTERS
SNOOKER MASTERS
ECT. ECT. ECT.

I really would love to call them all PROS, but until society starts to back games of BILLIARDS with the means to pay them as PROS I can not and will not call them as such.

 

[MikeJanis]

Quite honestly as bewildering as it may seem there is not one single PRO player that exists in 2007. Which player does not put up an entry fee to play in a tournament? Stay with me here this may take a while to explain my thought processes. Which pool player gets paid to compete? None....... Now there are sponsored players that get endorsements, but paid to play there are none. Even Earl's contract did not pay his entry fee. They paid Earl a salary per year and out of that salary came his entry fees and expenses.

Now my opinion. A classified pro(like football, basketball, baseball, soccer,ect) gets paid a salary to compete or shall we say perform no matter what the outcome of the game ends. This is not a sponsorship these pros recieve but an actual salary. Pool players do not recieve their salary unless they earn it by placing in the tournament money.

Like I said this may be harsh to the top-level pool players, but I do not consider them PROFESSIONALS. I consider them to be at the top of their respective disciplines, but until they get paid like a Professional athlete they are not a Pro. These pool players are at the top of their respective games, but society has deemed them to not be PROs by the lack of overall enthusiasm for the game of billiards as a MAIN STREAM sport.

I vote for Calling all top-tier player categories MASTERS.

So let's run them down...

BANK POOL MASTERS
ONE-POCKET MASTERS
9-BALL MASTERS
10-BALL MASTERS
14.1 MASTERS
SNOOKER MASTERS
ECT. ECT. ECT.

I really would love to call them all PROS, but until society starts to back games of BILLIARDS with the means to pay them as PROS I can not and will not call them as such.

This does not hold true for professional glofers does it ?

 

[Snap9]

I really would love to call them all PROS, but until society starts to back games of BILLIARDS with the means to pay them as PROS I can not and will not call them as such.

Mike, this is the difference between Golf and Pool. Hopefully, one day Pool will become MAIN STREAM enough to follow in Golf's footsteps.

 

[Flex]

A pro is someone who makes his living with a pool cue.

Flex

 

[Flex]

A pro is someone who makes his living with a pool cue.

Flex

And I know plenty of players who never win any tournaments who fit that bill.

Flex

 

[Ky Boy]

I think to earn a pro status to be part of a payroll then they should qualify. And this si the option i voted for.


However, today I would classify someone who competes in a pro tourney and normally falls into the money spots to me would be considered a pro player.


Gary

 

[MikeJanis]

C'mon guys and gals. I need 100 votes just so I can say: ___% of AZ members voted for_______ while only ___% voted for. Ya'know, normal survey stuff.

As soon as this one is done I'll throw another one out there.

Believe me, these polls will be very helpfull to the future reconstruction of our sport.

Thank you for your continued participation.

Mj

 

[MikeJanis]

Will Somebody Please Invite Grady To A Tournament!!

Grady has been and will continue to be an invited guest at all Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour National Championships.

Whenever possible I build this cost consideration into all of my major events. Many times over we have paid legendary players entry fees and hotel costs for many Viking Tour events and sometimes we even give them a little spending dough.

Buddy, Earl, Grady, McCready, Daulton, Allison, Jeanette (those are just off the top of my head) have all received these benefits from the Viking Tour.

The last thing we did for the players was to invite players from the former IPT events that did not receive prize money in a timely manner. Many attended last years Viking Tour National Championship at no cost to them.

This is not a program that I openly promote but it is something I believe in and will continue to do.

Mj

 

[pooljunkie4ever]

I voted you should have a system to be a Pro. Most sports have some kind of system, like Tennis. Would be nice to have open tournaments where pros
can battle it out with the amatuers. Maybe one day soon, someone can make this possible.

 

[poolnut]

Qualify. Weeds out lower level players who could "buy" their way into a professional event.

 

[MikeJanis]

Only 4 more votes needed.......Please.

mj

 

[seymore15074]

Qualify. Weeds out lower level players who could "buy" their way into a professional event.

Qualify or Invitation are very similar in my eyes. Basically, I'm not for payouts or earnings determining status.

Consider golf for a minute. Is there anyone that plays in the U.S. Open that is not a pro golfter? (I'm seriously asking, I don't know for sure)

Maybe if you have played in the U.S. Open, you should be official... Not to say that you couldn't buy your way in, but so what?

 

[MikeM]

Qualify or Invitation are very similar in my eyes. Basically, I'm not for payouts or earnings determining status.

Consider golf for a minute. Is there anyone that plays in the U.S. Open that is not a pro golfter? (I'm seriously asking, I don't know for sure)
Maybe if you have played in the U.S. Open, you should be official... Not to say that you couldn't buy your way in, but so what?

Yes. Anyone can play in the US GOLF Open, amateur or professional, but you have to qualify. You have to have a certified handicap (1.4 or lower)or compete and place high enough in regional qualifiers to get in. These qualifying tournaments are held around the world.

MM

Edited to add this link to USGA: http://www.usga.org/championships/championship_info/us_open.html